The Professional Footballer’s Association’s Head of Coaching Jim Hicks explains what it takes to get into elite coaching.

Hicks, described as a ‘true student of the game’ played professionally for English clubs Fulham, Exeter, Oxford and the Washington Stars in the US.

The 60-year-old has an MSc in Sports Coaching, a US Soccer Federation A Licence and an FA Pro Licence and has held his lofty position at the PFA since 2006.

He spoke to the Half Space Podcast and explained about the skills needed to work in the professional game and what clubs are looking for when interviewing for elite-level positions.

What separates coaches working at the elite levels?

“It’s a good question because these coaches at that level are different. There’s a few common ingredients that I spot with coaches and managers at the top level.”

Passion for the game

“You cannot stumble into one of these roles if you don’t like football. You have have to love football, be obsessed by football. You have to have a burning desire to make those around you better,” said Hicks.

“That’s a given. If you haven’t got that then do not step into the ring. A love of the game is critical.”

Competence

“You have to be good. You have to demonstrate that you have the capability to make people better. That is your primary role and you can dress it up however. But you have a player and they are on their development curve and if you are not making them develop up the curve then you are not doing your job and you’re going to get sacked.

“Your job is to get players to be better, so your understanding about the details of how you develop players’ performance is absolutely critical,” said Hicks.

“The very people at the top level have the capability of doing that. They recognize it takes time and they are patient, they dress things up in different ways and they motivate players every days.”

Resilience

“You have to be resilient because at the top level it is absolutely brutal. You are not going to get in and get an easy ride.

“You are not going to get in and have nobody badgering you, people are going to make massive demands on your time and you will be abused, insulted and have stuff thrown at you.

“They will think you’re an idiot until you win something and even then they will still think you are an idiot!

“You have to be unbelievably resilient and think skinned and be able to bounce back,” said Hicks.

Understanding of other components

“You have to have an understanding of sports science. I’m not saying you have to have a degree in it but you have to know about it. You have to know about analysis, you have to know about the medical side and a about talent ID and most importantly you have to know about people.

“If you have a Muslim player in your group for example, how are you going to deal with them. If you have never come across a Muslim player before and you don’t know anything about it then you are probably going to fail.

“You have to be rounded, you have to be well versed. If you are deficient in any area when you get there and your journey has not been long enough to get there to develop these things, then you are probably going to fail,” Hicks said.

“That’s why you see such an incredible turnover in the professional game, especially at managerial level. It’s a 14-16 month average tenure in management roles and 70% of those that get first jobs, never get a second job. It’s brutal. So make sure you are ready.”

How?

“The how bit is imperative,” insists Hicks.

“The advice I would give to anyone on a course at the moment is try and work out how you are going to do this stuff.

“You can’t just say I’m going to make this team better.

“How are you going to do it?

“Break it down and work out how you are going to do it in detail and that will get you a job. That will definitely get you a job at a club.”

Overseas travel

“If you are a student I think it is almost like a right of passage to go and work abroad. I would recommend that everybody who has the opportunity to work overseas to do it. And it’s not just sport in which you learn, socially and politically you learn so much from being away from the system you are used to.

“If somebody came to me for an interview and said they have spent time living and working abroad my ears would be listening straight away.

“It shows a level of commitment, professionalism and a desire to be good. You have to bring a gift back so to speak.

“I think there are some unbelievable opportunities out there.”

What to do at interview

Hicks says he regularly interviews candidates and prepares players for interviews and knows what is required to succeed.

“To start with and people come into our room and they have been a professional player, they are terrible at it and that’s why we do it. We need them to be more comfortable,” said Hicks.

“The fundamental things we are looking for are be comfortable with the environment. The vast majority of players have never been interviewed so they wouldn’t know how to dress, how to answer, how to sit in the chair- they’re wriggling all over.

“Also coupled with that, they need to structure their responses to questions. Listen to the question and take some time about structuring your answer. Take 20 seconds to jot down some notes and then answer with a structure, don’t just babble on without a structure.

“If you can structure your thinking and you have some good ideas and you are explaining how, then you are gold dust. The how stuff is very important.

“We try to prepare people to be comfortable with the situation, to think logically, structure their thinking, be composed and to give a good rounded answer.

“And at the end start to take the initiative and start to ask them questions about the role and where the club is going. Do the preparation and start to take the upper hand.”